Translation guide
A person who lives a solitary life and avoids other people. In Japanese, this concept can be expressed through nouns describing such a person, adjectives describing their lifestyle, or verbs indicating withdrawal from society.
Describing someone who is a recluse, a hermit, or a shut-in.
Common modern term for a person who withdraws from social life, often staying at home. Can refer to the phenomenon itself.
彼は何年も引きこもりだ。
He has been a recluse for years.
Literally 'person who has abandoned the world'. Conveys a more deliberate, often philosophical or religious withdrawal from society.
彼は世捨て人のような生活を送っている。
He lives like a recluse.
A hermit or recluse, often with connotations of a sage or religious ascetic. More literary or historical.
その隠者は山奥で一人暮らしている。
The recluse lives alone deep in the mountains.
Describing the lifestyle or state of being a recluse.
A secluded life, living in retreat from the world. Often used for a deliberate choice of isolation.
彼は都会を離れて隠遁生活を始めた。
He left the city and began a reclusive life.
A life far from human habitation, emphasizing physical isolation.
人里離れた生活に憧れる人もいる。
Some people long for a reclusive life.
Isolation, being cut off from others. Can be used for social reclusiveness, but also for physical or political isolation.
Expressing the action of becoming reclusive.
To shut oneself in, to withdraw from society. Intransitive verb.
彼は失業してから家に引きこもっている。
He has been shutting himself in at home since losing his job.
To seclude oneself, to retire from the world. More formal or literary.
彼は世を捨てて隠遁した。
He abandoned the world and became a recluse.
To abandon the world, to renounce society. Often implies a dramatic change.
彼は世を捨てて山にこもった。
He renounced the world and secluded himself in the mountains.
引きこもり is the most common modern term for a social recluse, often associated with the hikikomori phenomenon. 世捨て人 has a more romantic or philosophical nuance, suggesting a deliberate choice to abandon worldly affairs.
現代の引きこもりは社会問題になっている。
Modern recluses have become a social issue.
彼はまるで世捨て人のように静かに暮らしている。
He lives quietly like a hermit.
There is no single Japanese word that perfectly matches all nuances of 'recluse'. Using 隠者 or 世捨て人 in casual conversation may sound overly dramatic or archaic. For everyday use, 引きこもり is the safest choice.
「recluse」を直訳すると不自然になることがあります。
A literal translation of 'recluse' can sound unnatural.
He is isolated from society.